Press Release Article

PORT AUTHORITY BOARD APPROVES INCENTIVE PROGRAM
TO STIMULATE USE OF PORT’S EXPRESSRAIL FACILITIES

Date: Jan 22, 2009Press Release Number: 12-2009

Proposal Will Help Bistate Agency Compete for International Cargo

To stimulate even greater use of the Port Authority’s ExpressRail system, the agency’s Board of Commissioners today approved an incentive program to encourage shippers using the Port of New York and New Jersey to transport even more cargo by rail.

During 2008, the Port of New York and New Jersey set a new record for its on-dock rail system, transporting 377,827 containers for the year, a nearly 6 percent increase over 2007. The agency is currently investing approximately $600 million to upgrade the port rail facilities in Newark, Elizabeth and Staten Island, which ultimately will allow it to accommodate 1.5 million containers a year.

The new program will provide an incentive of $25 per container shipped by rail to any ocean carrier that increases the number of containers it transports over its 2008 levels.

The Port Authority receives $52 in revenue for each cargo container transported by the ExpressRail system. Under the incentive program, if an ocean carrier increases its rail cargo business in 2009 over 2008 levels, it would pay $27 for each additional container it ships by rail over that amount.

Port Authority Chairman Anthony R. Coscia said, “Our $600 million investment in an efficient and sustainable ExpressRail system is a critical factor in our port’s number-one standing on the East Coast. This incentive program will keep our port competitive and ensure that it remains a leading source of jobs and economic activity in our region, despite the challenging economic climate.”

Port Authority Executive Director Chris Ward said, “The competition for port business is intense, and we must find creative ways to maintain our competitive edge during difficult economic times. With jobs and economic activity on the line, we believe this incentive - coupled with our multibillion-dollar investment in rail infrastructure - will allow us to maintain our standing as the East Coast’s No. 1 port.”

The Port Authority is currently working to upgrade its ExpressRail facilities in Newark, Elizabeth and Staten Island. In June, two major projects are scheduled for completion - the opening of a second lead track into ExpressRail Elizabeth, and the completion of a rail support facility along Corbin Street. These projects will nearly double the port’s rail capacity and improve overall rail service.

CONTACT: The Port Authority of New York and New JerseyCandace McAdams or Steve Coleman, 212 435-7777The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey operates many of the busiest and most important transportation links in the region. They include John F. Kennedy International, Newark Liberty International, LaGuardia, Stewart International and Teterboro airports; AirTrain JFK and AirTrain Newark; the George Washington Bridge and Bus Station; the Lincoln and Holland tunnels; the three bridges between Staten Island and New Jersey; the PATH (Port Authority Trans-Hudson) rapid-transit system; Port Newark; the Elizabeth-Port Authority Marine Terminal; the Howland Hook Marine Terminal on Staten Island; the Port Authority Auto Marine Terminal; the Brooklyn Piers/Red Hook Container Terminal; the Greenville Yard-Port Authority Marine Terminal; and the Port Authority Bus Terminal in midtown Manhattan. The agency also owns the 16-acre World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan and is a partner in the Access to the Region’s Core tunnel project.